1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical?
Both. It clearly makes them better next year, but it also creates an untenable cap situation down the stretch. They added one of the best defenders in the league next to brook (who needs all the help they can get) and brought in a dynamic and smart wing player who does a hell of a lot more than wallace. Really, though, I like the AK signing as much or more.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?
Huh, this is a hard one. I was tempted to answer AK, but I think its JJ. Deron is a very good pg and I expect him to play that way. I also expect the other 3 starters to give us what we expect. How does JJ adjust/fit in?

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.
TBD. He was a good publicity hire for sure. I think he will do fine, but I am surprised they didnt try and woo an established headcoach.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?
Probably Health. Defense wont be a problem.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
False. Pacers and Heat on lock.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

You can elaborate on your answers.

1. Brilliant trade, became contenders immediately and only gave up 2 late first round picks and one POSSIBLE lottery pick in 2018. On top of this they got rid of Gerald Wallace's contract and assured that they would avoid the repeater tax in 3 years. This trade is a win whichever way you spin it.

2. The X factor for this season is Deron Williams if he can continue his great play from the end of last season then this team is a contender, if not then...

3. Pre-Celtics trade, yes in order to establish a culture for a team with almost no hope. Post-Celtics trade, no because you don't really want a rookie coach leading a team with such a short window. At least they got Lawrence Frank to guide Kidd through the transition process. However, he might surprise us and pull a Larry Bird and win COY. You never know.

4. Neither this team isn't injury prone, Peirce and Garnett know how to sacrifice and play with an elite ball dominant PG. KG and defensive minded coaches Kidd and Lawrrence Frank will improve their defense dramatically.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

1) Brilliant. They want to win now, and made a move that they believe will help them accomplish that.

2) Player only? Jet or Johnson. Jet because, if he can be the 6MOY challenger that he has been in the past then that team's so dangerous. Johnson because he's young enough and good enough to still be a star, yet he didn't play like one last year.

3) Before the trade, smart hire. After the trade, I'm skeptical. I would have rather gone with a more proven commodity. Win now roster, but unproven coach? Doesn't equate.

4) Biggest challenge? Health, of course. Look at their age. However, chemistry will be the most important facet, as they have the depth to (partially) combat possible health issues.

5) False. Considering the collective age, plus the minimal time to work together, I don't see this team doing exceptionally well in the first year. Miami, Indiana, Chicago are all formidable teams, and Brooklyn is currently a distant 4/5 with New York. That being said, one factor that really helps the cohesiveness is that large portions of the team have played together at times, so it's more of a melding of the KG/Pierce/Terry group with the Williams/Johnson/Lopez group, and the three Boston players have shown the ability and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. Williams and Johnson, however, struggled last year, much less adding in more "mouths" to feed.

1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical? It has no downside UNLESS something horrible happens, like Brook's foot snaps or the Nets have massive injuries elsewhere. Then the loss of picks will be awful. Otherwise, it has very little downside and the upside is being a contender.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success? AK47. They basically need him to play starters minutes. He can't have his 20 games injured, 10 more games recovering in and out. If he's hurt, Pierce is the main SF and that's problematic at his age.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach. I'm torn. Net fans sold me on it. They really want it to succeed which is important. It gives him time, means they have patience. But post trade they really would be better off with a more experienced coach. The thought is they don't need a strong coach with KG, Pierce, but having them usurp his authority by their presence (essentially they will be listening to him via Frank, his proxy) is a bad look. If KG isn't performing well, can Kidd reduce his time? Yell at him?

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets? Health. Defense and chemistry may be an issue because of health. And it's not really health, ,it's age. Injuries won't be the overriding issue, people being slow and banged up will.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season. False. I'd love to say Knicks but Pacers and Heat seem destined to be there.

I don't like the Kidd Frank dynamic with the roster they put together. They brought in people (KG specifically) to change the culture of the team. The new players specifically look up to the assistant, who is much more accomplished than the actual coach and who will be looked on to do more. Frank's ultimate goal is to be a head coach again. Then you have the current roster, the leader of which is a very good friend of Kidd. It's a strange mixture.

1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical? Brilliant. When you get bounced in the first round by an inferior team you have to make major adjustments. Paul's contract is good for next season and Kevin and Jason have two more seasons. It's a win-win.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success? Difficult question. I would say Kevin Garnett. If he can give us 15/15 in the playoffs and provide his usual stellar defense, our championship aspirations are legitimate.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach. True, true and true. Every one of our new additions praised Jason Kidd and said he was the best hire for this team. They all stated that they have a ton of respect for him and can't wait to play under his tutelage.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets? Chemistry won't be as bad as people predict. Nets had 13 new players last year and still managed to win 49 games. Health is our biggest concern. If we lose Paul or Joe, we're fine. If we lose Kevin, Brook or Deron, we're screwed.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season. The homer in me says yes but with the East being so top-heavy, it's going to be a dog-fight getting out of the second round. If healthy, it's championship time!

Brilliant trades (cost aside ) Celtics stars and AK47 while giving up barely anything in return? No wonder GMs are fuming around NBA.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?

Joe or AK47, we know what we'll get from the rest, more or less. Both of them could blossom or flop with such setup.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.

Smart before mega-trade, not so much after. I still think it wont be a big issue, - where Kidd could be lacking, Lawrence will fill in. Or if it comes to it, veterans can coach themselves just fine.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?

Health first and furthermost. Chemistry will be fine, and defense should be elite (depending how many minutes KG plays, and if Nets stars will buy into his mentality, as Celtics stars did).

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.

Hardly, Nets are 4-5th in the East. That said, Celtics also were dismissed for years but vets never gave up and pulled many upsets. If health allows, current Nets will give any team all they could handle, win or lose.

1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical?
Brilliant trade for the Nets. Last season's issue they had was rebounding, defense, and shooting. This trade already patched their weakness plus they didn't have to give up much other than money. This is a 2 year project. The talk, excitement and rivalry is what the NY needs between the Knicks and the Nets.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success? Pierce and Garnett will be the X factor. Their ability to hit shoots at the 3 and 4 spot is what was missing last season with Gerald Wallace and Evans. The Nets were basically exposed in the regular season and especially during the playoffs, playing 3vs5 on offense.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.
False. There are only 2 coaches ( Larry Bird and Mark Jackson) that had zero coaching experience and were successful. Bird had Rick Carlisle, who did most of the coaching, and Mark Jackson was surprisingly very good.
The inexperience of coaching will be a factor during playoffs.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?
Health will the issue mainly because of Pierce and Garnett.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
True. The key is to have Pierce/Garnett/Terry at full health at the time of the playoff. The Net's bench is pretty stack and those trios should not have to log pass 32+ minutes each game. The Nets arguably might have the best starting 5 and bench. However, they will not able to beat the Heat.

1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical?
--Brilliant, for the sheer facts that their previous roster wasn't good enough to win a championship and the upside of that roster was likely never going to be good enough. Why wouldn't you take the chance? Is it better to legitimately contend for 1 or 2 seasons or to be a pretender for the next 5?

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?
--Kevin Garnett. I still think he has enough in the tank for one last push, and his presence on a defense, even at his current age, is franchise changing. Offensively, his ability to pick and pop will provide more floor spacing for one of the most talented offensive post players in the NBA and his passing (both high post and in general) will should get open looks for all the talent on that roster. Nevermind his leadership, composure, championship experience, and team mentality impact. The guy is a net positive for any team, even if he's not playing well.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.
--True. Look at their roster. No coach is coming in and setting up a system for them unless it's someone who can demand their attention from the get-go. The window for this team may only be a single season as well. The players will run the show and, imo, it's their best chance to succeed this year. However, I think this is a less than ideal situation for Kidd.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?
--Health. Always health. People might point to the 2004 Lakers, but that team probably would have won if GP and Malone could stay healthy. They played against an incredible defensive Pistons team with tremendous chemistry.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
--False. Second round exit.

1. Nets trade for KG, Pierce, and Terry. Brilliant trade or Skeptical?
- It's a brilliant trade if the Nets are in WIN-NOW mode, which they clearly are. Prokhorov has clearly stated that he wants to bring a championship as soon as possible. The pieces they gave away (Brooks, Bogans and Humphries) weren't really anything special either.

2. Which Brooklyn Nets player do you consider the "X Factor" for this seasons success?
- Deron Williams needs to step up and become one of the best point guards in the league. He has all the weapons around him that are necessary to win a championship, he just needs to manage the team and get everyone on the same page. Kidd will help with that.

3. TRUE or FALSE: Jason Kidd was a smart hire as Head Coach.
-True, because out of all the options available, he seemed like the best choice.

4. Chemistry, Defense, or Health: Which of these 3 will be the biggest challenge for the Nets?
- Health and chemistry are kind of at the same level in terms of importance. If the team is Healthy and their chemistry is off, then they're not going anywhere. If the team is gelling well but are hurt, then nothing is going to happen. So they need to balance out.

5. TRUE or FALSE: The Brooklyn Nets will make the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
- False. There is 3 teams that are clearly better than them (Heat, Pacers, Bulls) and I don't see the full roster staying healthy for a full season and a deep playoff run.